The South Asian University, the region’s first cross-borders university agreed upon in 2007, is set to open on schedule in late August in New Delhi. It will initially offer master’s degree programs in development economics and computer applications, the government’s Press Information Bureau said in a statement. In April 2007, leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s member countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—agreed to establish the South Asian University, with India bearing the initial cost. Kapil Sibal, India’s minister in charge of higher education, told Parliament earlier today that $756,000 of the $240 million allocated to set up the university has been released. He said plans are in the works to set up university-affiliated specialized and multidisciplinary centers in other countries belonging to the South Asian association.